Croatia is the first in the European Union in terms of water supplies, with an average of 30,700 cubic meters of water per capita, according to Eurostat data published on the occasion of World Water Day.
At the same time, according to UNESCO data, Croatia is fifth in Europe and 42nd in the world when it comes to the availability and abundance of water resources.
The Croatian Ministry of the Environment and Green Transition announced that it is implementing numerous activities for water protection, as well as projects and programs for public water supply, as well as projects for flood protection, revitalization of watercourses and irrigation, reports Indeks.
Among other things, EU grants were used for this, which is why through 60 water and utility projects, the total value of which is 3.9 billion euros, of which 2.2 billion euros are grants, an additional 300,000 residents will have improved public water supply, and 800,000 residents will have improved wastewater treatment.
Croatia is also continuously investing in the development and modernization of public irrigation systems, and so far 29 new systems have been built and nine have been renovated, enabling the irrigation of around 21,400 hectares of agricultural land, for which 152.5 million euros were spent, according to the Index.
This year’s World Water Day is dedicated to the preservation of glaciers, which store almost 70 percent of the world’s fresh water supplies, but due to the negative impact of climate change there is a risk of rising sea levels and flooding.
“The risk of rising sea levels and salinization also exists for our Neretva, 230 kilometers long and one of the coldest rivers in Europe, the last 22 kilometers of which flow through Croatia ending in the Adriatic Sea,” the Croatian Ministry announced.
